Journalists seem to discover their opinions after leaving newspaper jobs

Rob Pegoraro
Of course, it’s not as if they didn’t form opinions when they were working, writes Rob Pegoraro, a former Washington Post columnist. He likens news outlets’ restrictive social media guidelines to the U.S. military’s recently rescinded “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “What makes us journalists is not some magical firewall in our heads that blocks after-hours contemplation of our reporting, but a willingness to look for evidence that disproves whatever theory we’ve been working on in a story. We fail our obligation to the truth not by developing opinions, but by letting them divert our research.” || Related: New website builds dossiers on journalists, hopes transparency will lead to trust (Poynter.org)